


Twisted Fate

by lotloveslou



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28698321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotloveslou/pseuds/lotloveslou
Summary: Mariona is a beautiful princess forbidden to go outside. Cyrus is a lowly thief desperately trying to run from his past. Terran is a lonely shop-boy dreaming of a new beginning. Amaya is a fearless child looking for adventure.  But, what happens when they achieve just that, but with a heap of fate, destiny, and forced heroism to top it all off?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first draft of my original story!! I'm posting it on here to possibly get feedback and stuff!! Lmk what you think!

  
“Princess Mariona?”  
Mariona looked up from the war tactic book she stole from Talan and rolled her eyes. This was the fourth time she’d been interrupted in the last hour.  
“Come in.” Mariona stood up. She set her book on her side table and looked up. Mona clicked the door shut behind her and went to set the basket of linens she was carrying on the table.  
“Mariona! Sorry to interrupt you again, but it seems kinda important.”  
“Seems kinda important? What is that supposed to mean, Mona?” asked Mariona, watching Mona as she began to fold the linens.  
“Well, your mother has sent for you. She asked for you to meet her out on the south balcony for brunch. I guess she assumed you’re bored here in your room, all alone. What with Talan being in meetings with your father, and Estelle spending her days in the market with Lori.”  
“Of course she’d think that. Well, thanks for telling me, Mona. Er, you don’t suppose I can wear this to have tea with my mother?”  
Mona looked Mariona up and down, tugging on the blue pendant guards used to recognize her as a servant. Mariona was wearing beige straight cut pants, an old white dress shirt, and blue crew socks.  
“Um, no. Let me find something in your closet. You can keep the pants, though.” Mona finished folding the last linen then disappeared into Mariona’s closet. Mariona sighed and sat back down on her velvet wing-back chair, looking out the window. Mariona used to have her room looking out over the flower gardens but asked to switch to a sight of the city. The stone roads coiled around the village, with hundreds of houses made of brick, stone, and wood. In the far center of the town, Mariona could see the Market where Stelle spent her worry-free days. She longed to travel the world or at least travel outside the castle grounds. She hoped when she turned 16, she’d be able to go out in the village whenever she wanted. Not just during Festival Esnosia.  
“Mari! I found something. Now hurry and change. Your mother is waiting!”  
Mariona sighed and walked over to Mona.  
“Thanks, Mona. I’ll bring you a pastry.”

Mariona rushed down the halls as quickly as she could in the light blue flats Mona picked for her. Mariona glanced down at her outfit. She was wearing a blue puff-sleeved top and pearl jewelry with her hair tied up with a ribbon. At least she was still wearing her pants. If Mariona had to put on a dress, she would’ve had lunch alone in her room.  
Mariona hurried up staircases and down halls until she finally reached the south balcony. Mariona couldn’t help but wonder why her mother chose the deck furthest from Mariona. She could’ve just had lunch on the north balcony, which was about 10 yards from Mariona’s room.  
Putting her thoughts aside, Mariona walked out on the balcony and towards the table closest to the view of Lake Eswond.  
“Sweet Ona! You decided to join me. I was beginning to think you were just going to stay in your room for another 4 hours.”  
“Sorry to keep you waiting, mother. Why’d you ask me to come here?” Mariona sat down across from her mother. She took a sip from the glass of water set in front of her.  
“Can’t a mother have a casual lunch with her lovely daughter every once in a while?” Mariona wasn’t convinced. Her mother never had time for her anymore.  
“Mother. I know you’re too busy for that. What did you want to tell me?”  
“Oh, alright. I was going to ease it into the conversation later on, but I guess I’ll tell you now. We are going to have visitors during the Festival Esnosia. The royal family from Astien will be joining us in celebration. They have a daughter, Princess Sterling, who is about your age. I was hoping you’d help keep her company while she’s here.”  
Mariona’s eyebrows shot up. A visitor. Her age. Another princess. “Really?! Of course, I will. Mona and I can both keep her company and Estelle, too, if she wishes. Wait. Is that all? Because Festival Esnosia is at the end of the month. That’s like three weeks awa-”  
“Oh no, that’s not all. You are going to help me plan for the festival with Lady Bellisario and their daughter Amaya.”  
“Amaya? Isn’t she 6?”  
“She’s nine, and Lady Bellisario said that she needs to train her how to be a true lady. She said that little Amaya’s set on becoming a warrior.”  
Mariona’s mom said warrior as if she was talking about a rat she found in her chicken broth. Mariona wanted to say something like, “If it’s what’ll make her happy.” but she knew that’d just make her mother angry.  
“Oh well… what will we be planning?” Mariona shifted in her seat, tightening the ribbon Mona used to hide the elastic band that she’d used to tie Mariona’s thick curls up.  
“Oh, you’ll be excited about this one! We’re going to be planning out the decorations!” Mariona’s mother clapped, her wide smile revealing her perfect teeth.  
Mariona’s face fell. “Decorations?” She thought of all the other things they could be planning that could have at least been somewhat enjoyable.  
“Yes, my sweet Ona, decorations! Things like color palettes, materia-”  
“I know what decorations are. Just, couldn’t we have done something more interesting like… I don’t know, security?”  
Mariona sipped more of her water as her mother went on and on about the importance of decorations. Mariona only half listened, thinking of all the things she could be doing instead of this. She could be walking with Mona in the gardens, finishing her book, or sketching out the fighting stances Talan must learn. Or maybe, if she could finally convince her father, she’d be able to go outside.  
She couldn’t remember the last time she was able to.  
“... and of course, we have to have blue in the color scheme, so maybe we should pair that with go-”  
“GET BACK HERE!”  
Mariona shot up out of her seat, looking over the balcony. A figure was sprinting around Lake Eswond, carrying a bag. A thief.  
About a hundred yards behind the figure was a group of patrol guards, trying to catch the thief. Mariona made a mental note to tell Talan that the patrols need more speed training.  
“You have to catch me first!” The thief yelled, probably male by the voice. The thief turned and looked like he was mocking the patrol guards, then turned back and sprinted off into the forest. The patrol guards followed far behind.  
Mariona sighed. It wasn’t fair Talan got to handle all that action, or Estelle got to see it. She sat back down and faced her mother, who looked startled.  
Her mother sighed. “Well, that was quite a sight and a very rude interruption. We can continue this conversation tomorrow with the Bellisario’s. I should go prepare for dinner with your father.”  
Her mom stood up and gracefully walked out, brushing off her skirt as she went. Mariona rested her chin on her hand and looked out to the lake, wishing she could go outside. Then, suddenly, an idea struck her. She smirked at the thought.

  
✧ ✧ ✧

  
Cyrus sprinted through the forest and took a sharp left, hoisting himself up into a tree. He sat on a branch nearly covered by leaves and caught his breath. Thievery was a challenging job. Well, if you could call it that.  
Cyrus must’ve been sitting there for about 5 minutes when he heard the patrol guards running through the woods “chasing” Cyrus. They stopped about 15 meters in front of Cyrus’s tree, out of breath, realizing they’ll never catch him.  
“We’ve lost him,” one of the guards said, panting.  
“Yeah, no shit.” said another, who sounded younger than the other.  
Cyrus could see there were about six of them, all dressed in the same navy-blue uniform. A few looked like they needed to cut back on the alcohol. They stood there for about 5 minutes to catch their breath until they finally began walking back towards the market.  
“You know, that kid is pretty fast. If he weren’t a thief, I’d consider inviting him to join the force,” said a young man with bright red hair. He was the guard that had first spotted Cyrus.  
A few of the others grunted in agreement, while others shot him a look of disgust. They began heading back to the village.  
After almost 15 minutes, Cyrus finally dropped down out of the tree. He hoisted his bag over his shoulder and began walking down the path toward El’s place, then decided against it and opened his sack.  
He pulled out the burgundy cloak and put it on. It was excellent material and made Cyrus feel mysterious in a cool way. He tucked his hair behind his ears before pulling up the hood, then reached into his bag to see what he had managed to snatch.  
A pocket watch, two rings, an apple, three slices of bread, and five coins.  
Looting just kept getting easier.  
He contemplated sneaking back into the market to his place, but decided against it, knowing reports and descriptions of him would be out soon. He just had to get caught this time. The only good thing about the whole situation was that that idiot prince didn’t know how to train his guards properly.  
Cyrus began walking quickly down the path. It seemed he was going to Ellis’s place, after all.  
After walking for about 10 minutes, Cyrus could finally see the little hut where Ellis lived. It was hard to spot, of course, what with all the branches and moss and stuff covering the walls. But Cyrus always found it by the little patch of yellow flowers that were about 5 yards from the hut. The ones El’s sister gave him before leaving him to go work in the palace.  
Cyrus knocked on the door, hoping Ellis wasn’t out collecting berries or whatever he does in his free time. Of course, all Ellis had was free time. Cyrus was about to knock again when the door wrenched open. Ellis looked Cyrus up and down then moved aside, letting him in.  
“Hey, thanks, man. Sorry to bother you again but these guards were chasing after me and-”  
“What do you want?” Ellis walked over to his kitchen table and sat down, crossing his arms over his chest. He had a half-skinned rabbit sitting in front of him.  
“Can I not just come here whenever I can’t go back into the city? Get some company every once and a while? Seriously, every time I come here you thi-”  
“CJ. You only ever come here for food, water, a few coins, or a change in your appearance. What do you want?”  
“Fine. Can you change my appearance slightly, so none of the guards and townspeople can recognize me? They can’t arrest me if I don’t match the description, right?”  
Ellis sighed, then began skinning the rabbit in front of him. “Tell me what you want.”

After about four long hours of sitting in the wooden chair, Ellis finally finished. And thank goodness for that, because Cyrus’s bum was beginning to get sore.  
“Here.” El handed him a handheld mirror for Cyrus to inspect Ellis’s work. He’d darkened his hair and eyebrows so that they were nearly black now, not reddish-brown like before. He also gave him a new tattoo on the left side of his neck and shoulder. It looked like a dragon and must’ve taken 3 hours.  
“Nice. Thanks, man.” Cyrus handed back the mirror. “How many times have you done this?”  
“Well, the first time I shaved your head, then I lightened up your hair when it grew out, then I used homemade tanner, and then I added layers to your hair to make it thicker and taught you how to use makeup to hide some features. And now I did all of this. So that’s what, five times in 2 years? I think you should just stop stealing at some point and get a real job.”  
“Ok fine. I’ll try to get a job as a store clerk or something. And I won’t steal anything noticeable because if I get caught now, I’ll never be able to go back to Ebia, what with this tattoo.” Cyrus stood up and ran his fingers through his newly darkened hair.  
“Don’t steal anything at all. And leave the cloak here. Those guards will be looking for that too.”  
“Ugh, alright.” Cyrus Slipped off the cloak and set it on the table. “Hey, El? Can I have a change of clothes? Cause they’ll be looking for someone wearing this.”  
“Yeah yeah, alright.”  
Cyrus walked into Ellis’s room and opened the trunk at the foot of his bed. He pulled out dark brown pants and an off white shirt, along with a pair of red suspenders Cyrus didn’t even know Ellis owned. He changed quickly, re-laced up his boots, turning to go when something caught his eye. It was a blue pendant on a gold chain. He’d seen castle staff wearing it before. He won’t miss this little necklace, will he? Cyrus thought, as he snatched it up and stuffed it in his bag. Maybe it’d be useful later on?  
“I should get going. Find a job and all that.” Cyrus waved his hands, then grabbed his bag and headed for the door.  
“Wait!”  
“What?” Cyrus turned, hopping El didn’t catch him stealing his pendant.  
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier, and now I feel stupid. You should probably take off all your makeup.”  
“Oh shit yeah. I forgot about it.”  
Ellis handed Cyrus a wet cloth. Cyrus wiped all around his face, taking off the endless amounts of fake freckles, and the contour to change his nose, forehead, and cheekbones. He took off the stuff he puts on his eyes to make it look like he had double lids. And finally, he wiped off the lip stuff Ellis gave him that he used to make them look like they’re thinner and lighter than they are. Cyrus handed the cloth back to Ellis, who threw it in a basin.  
Cyrus smiled before saying goodbye and closing the door behind him. He made sure to take a roundabout way and walk away from the castle and more towards the entrance to town so that people wouldn't recognize him. Besides, there were always travelers and merchants coming into the city. Who’ll think Cyrus isn’t a scrappy teenager looking for a job in the market?  
After about 2 hours of walking, Cyrus stepped into the market, weaving through the crowd and glancing up at signs, searching for one that said something along the lines of “HELP NEEDED.” After what seemed like an eternity, Cyrus finally found one. It was a small shop, but very busy. It seemed to be one of those shops that sell virtually anything. Perfect.  
Cyrus slipped in and went up to the counter. Behind it was a very tall boy, who was probably about 17. He was rushing around and trying to do 50 things at once. He seemed to be the only one working there.  
“Excuse me um I’d like-”  
“Please get in line sir. As you can see I’m quite busy at th-”  
“No-no-no. I want a job.”  
“Oh. Um… follow me.”  
He gestured toward a doorway for Cyrus to walk through to join him behind the counter.  
“Wait, it's that easy? I thought there’d be an interview or something.” Cyrus had spent the entirety of the walk from Ellis’s house to The Market coming up with answers to every interview-esque question he could think of. Luckily, the guards didn’t catch his name, so he could still go by Cyrus Eld.  
“Oh no. I just have to finish taking care of these last four customers, and then I’ll bring you to Moth- er… The Boss.”  
Cyrus nodded and went to sit on a stool in the corner. He watched as the boy rushed around, filling everyone’s orders with ease, while simultaneously looking like he was about to drop to the floor and lay there for eternity. Cyrus liked him already.  
“Alright! We’re closing for a little while! Everyone out please!” the boy said loudly. No one listened.  
After about three tries, the boy bit his lip. Cyrus stood up. “HEY! Everyone out! Shop’s closing!”  
People looked up, then began bustling out. Cyrus ushered them away, then closed the door and turned the “Open” sign around.  
“Uh, thanks. I’m Terran by the way.”  
“Cyrus.”  
They shook hands, then stood there for a few more seconds before Terran gestured for Cyrus to follow him to the back.  
“Uh… The Boss will probably ask you a few questions like ‘Why do you want this job?’ and ‘Are you a kleptomaniac?’ It shouldn’t be that hard. We’ve been trying to get help for a few months.”  
Cyrus smirked at the kleptomaniac question. Good thing lying convincingly was his specialty. Only Ellis could see through him.  
“Hey, mom? We have an applicant!”  
“They’re hired.” Came a scruffy voice.  
“Um… don’t you want to see him?”  
“Oh, alright. Bring him back.” A sigh followed this statement, and Cyrus suddenly felt confident. This’ll be easier than he thought.

✧ ✧ ✧

Terran made his way to his mom, weaving around all the shelves and the boxes. Every so often he’d glance back at Cyrus to make sure he was keeping up. He was doing surprisingly well, maybe better than Terran, who’d trip over a stack of old books or run into a table edge every so often.  
Finally, they made it through all the cluttered storage rooms and into the “Break Room” or, as Terran liked to call it, “Where Mom Sits On Her Arse And Orders Me Around.”  
“What’s your name son?” His mother said, looking Cyrus up and down with her dull green eyes.  
He straightened, sweeping his dark hair out of his eyes. “Cyrus. Cyrus Eld.”  
“Alright. You can work at the counter with Terrie here. We’ll pay you Fridays.”  
“That’s it?”  
“What do you mean, ‘That’s it’?”  
Cyrus rubbed the back of his neck. “I just expected more questions-”  
“We can interview you more thoroughly if you’d like-”  
“No, no! It’s fine. Thank you, ma’am.” He shook her wrinkled hand.  
“Uh alright, Cyrus… we can go out there. Wouldn’t wanna keep customers waiting.” Terran smiled tightly, trying to make it less awkward.  
“Right. Thanks, Boss, or Terrie’s mom.” Cyrus grinned mischievously then slinked out the door, motioning for Terran to come with.  
Terran rolled his eyes, trying to hide his blush. Alaria above, he got attached to cute guys way too fast.

“That’ll be $10.25, have a good day!” Cyrus smiled and waved goodbye to another customer. He was surprisingly good at this. And of course, that just made Terran like him even more.  
Cyrus turned to him. “So, is that all for today?”  
“Oh, uh, yeah. You can go home and just… chill I guess.”  
“Right…” Cyrus scuffed his boot against the dirty ground.  
“Is there anything wrong?”  
“Oh, just I have nowhere to stay. Do you mind if I can like, crash here? Like, do you have an attic or something?”  
“Oh! Yeah, yeah of course!” Terran smiled as he flipped the sign on the door to say ‘CLOSED’ then led Cyrus upstairs to the stuffy attic.  
“Woah. This is perfect.”  
Cyrus was grinning as he walked around in circles and studied the room. Worn out, moth-eaten furniture cluttered it, and books and trinkets of every kind filled all the nooks and crannies. Cyrus picked a few up and studied them, before placing them back down.  
“This’ll be great! Thanks, Terr.” Cyrus smiled, then faltered, “You’re ok with me calling you Terr, right? Or would you rather just be Terran?”  
“Whatever is fine, I don’t mind in the slightest.” Terran grinned back at Cyrus.  
“TERRIE!!” Terran sighed, as Cyrus giggled. His mom would be wanting more coffee now.  
“See you later.”  
Terran headed for the door, then peaked back at Cyrus, whose back was turned. He saw him slipping a watch into his pocket with practiced fingers.  
Maybe he wasn’t as trustworthy as Terran thought.

  
✧ ✧ ✧

Amaya skipped down the road ahead of her mother as she left her favorite shop. It was the one with the tall green-eyed boy. The boy that was kind to everyone. Amaya wanted to know his name.  
Today, though, another boy was helping Greeny. He was smiley and nice like greeny, but his eyes were sadder and moved over everything in an oddly calculating way. His fingers also seemed to want to stick to anything valuable. Amaya didn’t trust him.  
She giggled as she thought this, proud that she noticed these things. She was getting better at analyzing people and their actions, which is exactly what you need to do to be a good warrior.  
“Amaya Rose. Get back here this instant!”  
Amaya turned quickly as she felt a hand on her wrist. It was Mother.  
“You could’ve gotten lost, Petal. You need to stay close by, and be careful of your shoes and hair.”  
Amaya looked down at the shiny white shoes Mother made her wear, the ones that pinched her toes. She wished she could wear boots like everyone else.  
Mother gripped Amaya’s wrist with her silky gloves and dragged her back to the house, her maids’ shoes clomping behind them, and the bags rustling in their grasp.  
“Go get Olyvia and get ready for tea with the Queen and her Princess Mariona. We’re beginning the planning of decorations today.” Mother patted Amaya on the back and pushed her towards the large marble staircase.  
Amaya tried to smile back at her, but she knew it looked forced. She rushed up the stairs and went running to her room when she heard a laugh from Samwell’s. She peeked her head in.  
He was laying on his bed and flipping through a book that had a bright yellow color. He was giggling a lot and didn’t realize Amaya was standing there until she closed the door behind her.  
“Maya! How was the market!” He jumped up from the bed and hugged her. They giggled.  
“It was alright. I wish you could come with us though.” They went to sit on the bed and talk like they do every day.  
“I do too, but I’m more useful here, learning about strategy and agility and stuff, you know?”  
Amaya’s face fell, wishing she too could learn those things. She seemed to have a lot of wishes these days. Samwell noticed her frown.  
“Well, if I stay here and learn it, then I can teach you while you tell me all about your day.” Sam smiled, then stood up and pulled Amaya off her feet. She laughed.  
“Oh! I forgot to tell you! Greeny has a new worker at his shop!”  
“He does? What are they like?”  
“I think I’m gonna call him Sticky cause he seemed like he wanted to steal everything. He still seemed nice though, I just don’t trust him.”  
“Oh, that’s odd, I wouldn’t trust him either.”  
They must’ve talked about the market for five more minutes when there was a quick rapping at the door.  
“Amaya! You need to get ready!”  
“Oh, it’s Olyvia.” Samwell stood up and brushed off his pants, before helping Amaya off the bed. He smiled as he walked with her over to the door.  
“Sorry, Olyvia, we got carried away discussing the market!”  
“I don’t care what you were doing, get over here, and get ready to meet with the royals. We have 20 minutes!”  
Olyvia grabbed Amaya and dragged her out the door. She barely got the chance to wave goodbye to Samwell when it seemed like she was suddenly sitting on the vanity chair in her room. Olyvia quickly took out her pigtails and began weaving intricate braids through her wispy blonde hair, and fastening them with pink ribbons.  
After she was finished with that, she hurriedly patted pink blush on her cheeks and a clear gloss on her lips. Olyvia then pulled her towards the mirror near her wardrobe and stripped her down to the undergarments after selecting a frilly pink dress and long white stockings from the closet. The outfit made Amaya want to throw up, but since they were running late, she decided to not make a fuss about it.  
When she was finally dressed, Olyvia clasped the buckles on Amaya’s shiny shoes then gently pushed towards the door.  
“Your mother is waiting. Have fun little one.”  
Amaya rushed down the staircase and out the door, jumping in the carriage next to her mother.  
“Perfect timing, darling.”  
Amaya smiled, glad she wasn’t getting scolded for once. She began swinging her legs back and forth, as they didn’t quite touch the ground.  
Once they made it to the palace gates, Amaya looked out the window and immediately perked up. This wasn’t her first time at the palace, but she could never get over the view of the gates opening to reveal the palace. The glass was made of every color and sparkled like the jewelry that hung on the hooks by her vanity. She “ooooo”ed at the sight, but her mother shushed her quickly.  
Once they got out of the carriage, they were escorted to the balcony that looked out at Lake Eswond. Amaya remembered how Olyvia took her there once when she was four before she had to sit in on lessons about manners and go clothes shopping at the market with her mother.  
“Remember your manners, Petal.”  
Amaya winced a bit at the name but kept a straight face for the most part. She looked around the balcony again. It was closed off to the rest of the palace now, and there was an average sized table in the middle. It was set with tons of pastries, fruits, cookies, cakes, and jams. There was a pretty gold-encrusted teapot in the middle. Amaya hoped it was jasmine tea, the only kind she liked.  
As she and her mother took their seats, Amaya sitting with her back rod straight like she was taught, Queen Aida and her youngest daughter, Princess Mariona, walked in. They both wore silky dresses. The queen was wearing a light blue one that covered her ankles, wrists, and collarbone. Mariona was wearing a brighter blue one that matched her left eye, while her other eye was nearly the color of her dark curls that were braided down her back. It was less modest than her mother, which Amaya frowned at. Mariona was only 15. The dress went to her ankles, had puffy sleeves that ended just below her elbows, and had much of her collarbone and part of her freckled chest exposed.  
They smiled kindly as they sat down. Amaya noticed they had the same mouths. Straight white teeth and glossy lips. Amaya and her mother smiled back.  
“So, shall we begin?” Queen Aida said, and she and mother immediately began discussing colors and materials as Amaya watched carefully. The princess busied herself with tea.  
Amaya whispered to her. “What kind of tea is it?”  
The princess smirked, “I only drink jasmine and green tea, but we heard you like jasmine.”  
Amaya grinned back, then accepted the cup and saucer Mariona handed her. They sipped their tea as their mother’s moved on to discuss locations and designs.  
Mariona intervened. “Mother! I have an idea. So, you and Lady Bellisario can lay out the general plans and some details, and then the next meeting Amaya and I can help add the details.”  
“Oh, I guess that’s fine. But, what will you and Amaya do?” The queen took a sip of her tea and set it back down on the white tablecloth with the grace of a swan.  
“Uh, we can go for a walk in the gardens if you’d like?” Mariona said, turning towards Amaya.  
“Sure!” Amaya smiled, then stood up out of her seat and linked arms with Mariona, after brushing herself off. Together they walked quickly through the halls of the palace and out the large french doors that led to the gardens. Amaya giggled as they strolled around, looking at flowers of every color and size.  
“So, I hear you want to be a soldier,” Mariona said at last and smiled down at Amaya. Amaya paused. She was told she should keep her passion to herself, seeing as it is un-lady-like. But Amaya liked Mariona.  
“Yes. I want it more than anything in the world. I want to be able to run into battle and calculate strategies in the knick of time and be feared far and wide.” Amaya rambled on as they walked, and Mariona smiled and nodded as she went.  
As Amaya finished, she asked a question. “What do you want more than anything?”  
At that Mariona stopped. Her face dropped a little before she said, “To go outside. And explore the country. I want to live.”  
Amaya frowned. Why couldn’t she? The Palace Gates weren’t very far from the garden exit.  
“Father forbids it.” Mariona said after a pause, most likely noticing Amaya’ confused face. Amaya nodded, understanding finally. She glanced up at the older girl’s pretty freckled face. There was a slight frown before, but now she wore a smirk that matched well with the mischievous glint in her eyes.  
“I have an idea. Follow me.”  
As they raced back through the gardens and towards the gates, Mariona stopped by an alcove, putting an arm out for Amaya to stop as well. She took out 2 silky cloaks and handed one to Amaya. They both put them on and rushed out a side gate, just out of sight of the guards. Once they got out, they giggled, hearts pounding.  
“I’ve never done this before.” Mariona breathed. They stepped out onto the stone street that branched off of the main avenue leading up to the palace.  
“Is there anywhere you’d like to go?” Mariona asked, “I figured you know this place better than I do.”  
Amaya giggled. “I know one.”  
As the two girls skipped through the streets, Amaya thought of Samwell. He’d love to hear all about this later tonight when Amaya returned home.  
The girls rushed past Amaya’s favorite shop, the one with Greeny and Sticky. She thought she saw Sticky up on the roof, but when she glanced back, no one was there. Amaya kept running and grabbed Mariona’s hand as they laughed.  
They finally reached the forest at the far end of the village. Amaya bit her lip, trying not to giggle too loud.  
“What is this place?”  
Amaya shushed the older girl. “Follow me.”  
As they wove their way through the trees, Amaya finally reached what she was looking for. It was the waterfall she and Samwell used to visit when they were very small. The one that can apparently unlock the power sleeping inside you. The power given by the gods, if you touch the water.  
The same waterfall that is supposedly cursed.


	2. Chapter 2

Mariona looked around in awe. The place was beautiful. There were grasses and multi colored flowers all around. Moss covered the towering trees that surrounded the clearing. It was magical.  
Suddenly, there was a crashing through the trees. Mariona saw Amaya whip around and grab a stick next to her, holding at the ready. Mariona looked to where the crashing came from. Two men stood, panting.  
“Who are you?” Mariona nearly yelled, picking up a rock and getting ready to throw.  
“Woah Woah Woah. Calm yourself. I just thought it was odd that two little girls in silky cloaks were running through the streets after tea time, and I decided to investigate. Oh, and Terran followed me cause he’s a creep like that.” The darker haired one said, using his hands as he talked.  
The other boy, who was apparently named Terran, spoke up. “Hey! If anyone’s the creep, it’s you. I was just following the kid that moved into my house but then decided to randomly leave.”  
“Oh of course you were.”  
“Hey! I was-”  
“Ok! Ok! We get it, you idiots.” Amaya threw the stick at them.  
“What the hell is a baby doing here?” Dark haired boy cried as he dodged the stick.   
“Hey! I am nine for your information!”  
“Ok, ok. Shut up, everyone. I was just trying to enjoy the serenity of this place since I’m barely allowed to leave the palace and you two himbos had to ruin it.”  
“Wait, hold up. The palace?! You’re princess Mariona!” Dark haired’s eyes widened, and Terran sighed.  
“Sorry, Princess. He’s a bit slow.”  
“Oh, shut the hell up Terrie.”  
“Wow. There is a child here, Cyrus?”  
“Oh shit, I forgot! Fuck! I did it again! Wait-”  
“Just. Stop. Talking.” Mariona said, at last, getting the idiots to finally stop talking. Mariona saw Amaya roll her eyes, but she looked oddly fond of this experience.  
Mariona turned back to Amaya. “So, what is this place?”  
“You don’t know? It’s the Cursed Falls.” Terran said, admiring the mist coming off the pond.  
“Cursed? How the hell is it cursed?” Cyrus said as he went over to touch the water.   
All at once, the three of them ran over to stop him, even though Mariona didn’t know anything about it. As a result of this stampede to stop the idiot from doing the most idiotic thing known to man, they all toppled over each other and...   
Fell.   
Straight.   
Into.   
The.   
Water.  
Mariona’s world slowed down. All she could see was white rushing water around her until everything began glowing blue. She felt like she was floating. After what felt like an eternity, she broke the surface. All four of them sat, in the pond of The Cursed Falls, staring wide-eyed. The others all seemed to have a faint aura around them. Sticky’s was red, Amaya’s was a soft silver, and Terran’s was the green of the grass on the banks.  
“Ok. What the hell was that.” Cyrus said.  
And so, the chaos began again.  
“It was all your fault!”  
“Well, at least I wasn’t stupid enough to touch the water after I said it was cursed!”  
“How was I supposed to-”  
“It’s common sense, Cy-”  
“Shut up you idiot-”  
“Hey! Hey! Stop!” Amaya stood up and jumped out of the pond. Mariona expected her to land on the bank, but she instead launched far across the clearing, screaming, nearly hitting a tree.  
“Amaya!” Mariona cried, leaping out of the water herself, though she didn’t shoot 10 feet forward and nearly into a tree. After Mariona got Amaya back on her feet, they looked back at the older boys.  
Cyrus yelled. “Ow! Ow! Ow! Wait. That didn’t hurt.” He was staring at his hands, which had just been on fire.  
Terran was staring at him in disbelief when he suddenly threw his hands in the air, crying: “I must be dreaming.” And, like magic, sprouts flew out of the ground and grew quickly, following the movement of his hands. Terran let out a high pitched scream.  
As Mariona glanced back down to catch Amaya’s eye, she caught sight of her hands, which were held out in front of her. Her eyes widened with disbelief. In between them was a swirl of water, being controlled by every movement Mariona made.  
Cyrus finally spoke into existence what they were probably all, admittedly, thinking.  
“What the hell just happened?”

Mariona glanced around at the other three kids, all of them reflecting exactly how she felt on their faces. Horror. That’s the only word to describe it.  
Amaya moved first, stepping carefully over into the middle of the clearing. Mariona felt a rush of wind swirl through her hair as the girl passed by, almost knocking Mariona off her feet. Mariona looked up, her eyes reaching Cyrus’s for some reason. He raised his eyebrows. Mariona shrugged.  
“Okay. What are we gonna do?” Amaya said, crossing her arms over her chest, her legs shoulder length apart. She looked pretty intimidating for a 9-year-old.   
“What do you mean what are we gonna do? We fell into the Cursed Falls. Yes, we unlocked our true powers and it’s cool and all that, but it’s crazy scary seeing as we have no clue what the hell they are. And, on top of that, we all have a curse now.” Terran said, running his hands through his wet hair, causing little flowers to lace their way through it.  
“Woah Woah Woah. No one said anything about a curse!” Cyrus threw his hands into the air, causing a tree above them to catch fire. Mariona gasped and put her hands toward it, hoping the water swirl that danced between her hands earlier would appear again and put the flames out. It worked and Cyrus smiled sheepishly at Mariona. She rolled her eyes.  
“Cyrus, I’ve only known you for about 15 minutes but I have come to realize that you’re a bloody idiot. In fact, you’re probably the dumbest person I know.” Amaya said, glaring at Cyrus.  
“Woah, what the hell. That was unnecessarily rude, and you don’t know anything about me. None of you do, so I’d keep your assumptions to yourself.”  
“I can assume you lack common sense due to the fact you can’t put two and two together. It’s called The Cursed Falls. There’s obviously gonna be a curse you imbecile.” Mariona couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Bane almighty this kid was getting on her nerves.  
Terran narrowed his eyes, looking deep in thought. “I heard that after someone touches the water at the falls, they get a dream about what is in store for them the next time they sleep. The last person this happened to was called Milo Kaye. He was a scientist and was here trying to find out why this water doesn’t uhh condensate? It’s where water goes like, up into the sky to form clouds. I forgot the word.”  
“Evaporate.” Mariona corrected.  
“Evaporate, yes. Well, he took a sample and one drop got on his skin and he suddenly had a photographic memory. It helped him loads in his work. His curse, it seemed, was that he had the worst luck ever. Someone stole all his work and took the credit. And, on top of that, he was brutally murdered by the mob before he could expose the man that stole his work.”  
“How do you know this?” Cyrus asked, fiddling with the wet hem of his shirt.  
“You learn a lot from working in an antique shop for half of your life.”  
“Fair enough.”  
“So,” Mariona walked towards where Amaya was standing. “If all that happened with just one drop, when he was alone, what’s gonna happen to us? We all fell in together, that must mean something. And, we got dunked under.”  
“Shoot. I didn’t think about that.” Terran pushed his hair back.  
“This is gonna be bad,” Cyrus said, brushing his hair out of his eyes.  
“Got that right, Sticky,” Amaya said.

Mariona and Amaya wrung out their cloaks and slung them back on. “We better be heading back. Hopefully, we don’t seem too suspicious.”  
“Yeah. We’ll probably be seeing you two some time.”  
Terran and Cyrus waved, then turned back to each other, whispering. Mariona and Amaya stepped out of the clearing and weaved their way back through the forest and into town, creeping in the shadows and back to the palace gardens. They stuffed the cloaks back in the alcove before rushing up to the balcony.  
“Where have you two been? And why are you soaking wet?” Lady Bellisario cried, her eyebrows creasing in frustration.   
“We took a long walk through the gardens, twice. And we fell into a pond.” Mariona said, shrugging and smiling sheepishly.  
“Oh, well that’s alright. Lady Bellisario will probably need to be going soon, along with little Amaya. And Ona, we completed everything you said we should.” Mariona’s mother smiled, and Mariona smiled back.  
“Wonderful! We’ll be seeing you.” Mariona hugged Amaya and shook hands with Lady Bellisario, before turning on her heel and walking inside. After she knew she was out of sight, Mariona rushed up to her room and locked the door behind her. She held her hands out in front of her and stared at them. She could see a faint blue aura surrounding them. Mariona hoped it would wear off soon. If someone noticed, there’d be no way to explain that.   
Mariona concentrated, trying to form the swirls of water she created earlier in the forest. She felt a tug deep in her gut as a swirl of water flowed out of her hands. It tickled, and followed the movements of Mariona’s hands. When she turned her hand, the water turned with it. Mariona smiled, before suddenly crushing her hands together around the water. It disappeared.   
Her heart raced. She couldn’t believe this was real. She scrunched her eyebrows together, realising that controlling the water had tired her out. Looking down at her soaked clothes, she realised she probably shouldn’t sit down. Mona wouldn’t be very happy if she saw a huge puddle on her velvet chairs.  
Mariona walked over to her closet and pulled out dry clothes to put on. She took off her soaked blue shoes before putting on the sweater and loose linen pants she had picked out. Still cold from the icy water at the falls, she put on thick wool socks, even though it was about 85 degrees outside.  
Mariona ran out of her room and locked her door behind her, flipping the “Do Not Disturb” sign. Mona wouldn’t enter if she saw that. Mariona usually only flipped it to that side if she was really deep into a project, and Mona knew not to disturb her when she was doing that. Mariona subconsciously wondered why she didn’t do it earlier. Maybe she wouldn’t be in this “Cursed” mess, but she also wouldn’t have befriended Amaya. And even though Amaya was about 6 years younger than Mariona, she was quite funny and understanding. And, Mariona didn’t have many friends anyway. Only Mona really, and Lorelei and Talan if you can count him.  
She had an idea. What if she could somehow pull up the puddled water from the floor? She wasn’t sure how she’d do it, but she knew it would help if she could. Mona would be suspicious if there was just a random wet spot on her floor.   
Mariona went to stand in front of it, settling her legs shoulder length apart. She focused on the water and moved her hand up ward from it, hoping it would then pull off of the floor.   
It didn’t work.   
She tried again and again but nothing worked. She didn’t know how to control water that already existed. She could only (barely) control the water she created herself, though she wasn’t even sure how she did that.   
Mariona decided it didn’t matter anyway, and that she was just trying to do something she didn't entirely understand yet. In fact, she didn’t understand it at all. Besides, the puddle probably went better with her “fell into the pond in the gardens” story.   
There was a slow knocking at the door, and Mariona turned quickly, straightening.   
“Who is it?” She called, hoping it wasn't her mother coming to interrogate her, or Estelle to come have a meltdown.  
“ ‘s me. Open the door.” A gruff voice came, and Mariona smiled, opening the door.  
“Talan. How are you? How were the meetings?” Mariona said, watching him as he rushed past, taking off his cloak and throwing it on Mariona’s table.  
“Don’t wanna talk about it.” He said, taking a long swig from his flask as he collapsed onto Mariona’s wingback chair, looking out onto the city with a posture that would make her mother cry.  
“Oh… well I have your book.” said Mariona, picking it up off the coffee table and holding it out towards him. He glanced back, and Mariona saw that he looked as tired as ever, with heavy bags under his caramel colored eyes. He sighed, and held out his hand. Mariona handed him the book back.  
“You really need to stop stealing stuff from my room while I’m away, or I’ll have to recruit like… guards or something.” Talan said, and Mariona was scared for a minute before she saw the smirk on his face. Mariona laughed. Even after all their years living together, she could never tell when he was being sarcastic or not.  
“Wow, what a way with words you have, Tal. ‘Guards or something’. Very descriptive.” Mariona said sarcastically, snatching the book back from his lap.  
“I know, I know. That’s why I was chosen to sit in meetings all day, instead of training my men like I should.” Talan grinned, before souring again. Another swig from his flask.  
“Well,” Mariona sat in the chair opposite of him, setting the book back on the coffee table. “At least father trusts you enough to hear all his plans and give feedback. He doesn’t even trust me enough to go out- uh… outside.” Mariona hoped that her stumble wasn’t obvious. Or at least, Talan wasn’t paying enough attention to interrogate her about it.  
Talan sighed. “Yeah, well at least it doesn’t feel like you have all of Ebia’s expectations on your shoulders.”  
Mariona frowned. “I am expected to marry a rich man with a high upstanding from a foreign country that I don’t know just to have his kids and create an alliance that will most likely survive for only two generations in the future. But, yeah you’re right. Ebia’s expectations aren’t resting on my shoulders.”  
“Ona- I mean-” Talan sighed, running his hand down his face. “Just, whatever. I guess their expectations are resting on both of our shoulders, but in different ways. Very different ways.” Talan scanned the view of Ebia out of Mariona’s window, a haunted look in his eyes.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mariona pouted, prodding for information. Anything to feel more like she’s an inside source, instead of hearing the plans from weeks ago through the stupid gossip that happens over lunch once a week.  
Talan glared in her direction, the bags under his eyes just as prominent as his premature wrinkles that came from years of stress. He sighed again, taking another sip from his flask. “It’s classified. Sorry Ona.”  
Mariona frowned and rolled her eyes, sinking down in her seat to match Talan’s posture. She was never privy to her fathers plans. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach knowing no one trusted her with this information, and she would never hear it. That sinking feeling reminded her of the time a warship came back from Prenia during a storm, and just as it got close to pulling into the docks, a huge wave crashed over it and broke it into pieces. No one survived. Of course, she’s heard that story from Talan, who witnessed it. Mariona had never been to the harbor before.  
Thinking about the waves, it reminded her of her newly found “Gift from the Gods”. And her newly found curse. Perhaps tonight she would find out what that curse was.  
Talan snatched his cloak and book off the coffee table, running his hands through his tight dark ringlets. “I should be going. I have to write down my plans for training tomorrow. I finally got a break to work with the guards.”  
“Oh! That reminds me! Your guards need speed training.”  
“What? Why? How do you know?”  
“Well, when I was having lunch with Mother on the Southern Balcony, there was an… incident? Interruption? I’m not quite sure what to call it.”  
“What happened?” Talan had turned back around, giving Mariona his full attention. His guards were his pride and joy. Of course this is what he’d want to talk about.  
“Well, we were having lunch and I was listening to mother, per usual, when a thief came running around the lake, teasing your guards. I think he got away when he escaped into the forest, seeing as your guards were about 20 yards behind him. And I believe the thief was a tall man, especially considering his voice and-” Mariona stopped. She recognized the voice.  
Cyrus.  
Cyrus was a thief. Cyrus was the thief. Of course.  
“And?”  
“Oh, uh, that’s all.” Mariona shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck.  
“Oh, well thank you for telling me, Ona. I’ll add that in. It’s a bit disappointing to hear though. The villagers will most likely be discussing it.” He rolled his eyes, then smiled at Mariona before shutting the door behind him.  
Mariona walked over to the window, looking down on the view of the city, then past it, to the forest. She couldn’t even remember what that forest was called, but it had most likely changed her life, and possibly ruined it. Mariona sighed. She finally got to what she longed for, go outside, and now she’s apparently cursed.  
The situation was almost laughable.

“So, how was your day?” Mona asked, closing the door behind her. Mariona sighed, and Mona frowned. “That bad? Is Amaya annoying? Or did Estelle pester you with her delusions again? I told Lorelei to keep a closer eye on her…”  
“No, no nothing like that. I haven’t seen Stelle all day, and Amaya is actually really funny, I enjoyed talking to her.”  
“Then what was it?” Mona asked, unweaving Mariona’s braid from her long dark hair.  
“It was… nothing. Nothing important. Just worried about Tal.” Mariona said, playing with the fabric of her nightgown.  
“Ah… yes. Does he still need a servant? I feel like he hasn’t had one in years. He needs someone to look after him.”  
Mariona nodded, but said nothing. She felt exhausted, and worrying just made her more tired. Besides, a lot of her days were spent worrying, and she didn’t feel like thinking about it now. She just had to get this night over with. As Terran had said, she’ll have to speak to the gods.  
“Alright. I’ll leave you. Sleep well!” Mona said cheerfully, then closed the door behind her. 

“Step forward. Join us.”  
The lights were dim, but Mariona could still see. There were four figures sat in a circle on a woven carpet. Mariona looked around her. She saw the three other people she had met just today. Cyrus, the thief. Terran, the shop boy. Amaya, the warrior. And Mariona was the princess.  
They stepped forward.  
Mariona felt as if she was moving through a mist. She felt woozy and as if she were floating. She couldn’t feel the ground beneath her.  
“Come. Sit. Choose a patron, young heroes.” Someone said, but Mariona couldn’t tell who. Her brain felt fuzzy, but she walked toward a man with golden ringlets curling around his ears. She sat.  
Amaya chose a woman with skin the color of walnut wood. Cyrus sat next to a woman that had a glint in her eyes and nimble fingers matching his own. Terran sat next to the last man, who had close cropped hair the color of burnt copper.  
“Why are we here?” Amaya asked, and her words sounded slurred, as if Mariona had a bubble around her head.  
“To learn of your blessing.” Said the man next to Terran.  
“Blessing? But we fell into the Cursed Falls. We’re Cursed for Banes sakes!” Cyrus cried, his words sharp and clear. Mariona whipped her head towards him, sneering. How could she hear him clearly, but not hear anyone else?  
“No need to yell. Yes, it is true you have a curse, but perhaps that is another blessing in disguise.” Mariona turned her head towards the golden haired man to her left.  
“What do you mean? What is our curse? Can you tell us?” Cyrus’s words came out very stentorian once again, and Mariona nearly flinched. Amaya and Terran seemed unfazed, but rather leaning in as to hear him better. Mariona scrunched her eyebrows, staring straight at Cyrus. He looked back at her, confused. They shrugged in unison.  
“We can not tell you, that is for you four to figure out for yourselves. But we can give you each a separate glance into the future. Do you wish to see?” The woman next to Amaya reached her hands forward as a silvery mist poured from her fingers.  
Terran rubbed the back of his neck. “Hey, can we learn who is who first? I mean we know all your names but you never look the same in portraits or statues.” His voice was heavy and quiet. Amaya nodded, agreeing.  
“I am Bane.” The man next to Terran said. Mariona remembered that he represented the seasons, life, death, night, and day.  
“I am Alaria, of harvest, relationships, love, and destiny.” said the woman that Amaya had chosen.  
“Lerio.” The golden haired man said. Mariona remembered he represented water, pleasure, and war. Mariona looked up. She had chosen the king of the gods.  
“Ahh, and I am Gishaga.” The woman next to Cyrus said, smirking.  
“Oh, you represent intelligence, illness, mischief, and…” Amaya said, pausing to remember the last thing Gishaga portrayed.  
“Fate.”  
“Oh. Yes, fate.”  
“Well, can we see the future now?” Mariona said, straightening.  
“Of course, young princess.”  
Everything faded into a silver mist.

“Cyrus!” Mariona screamed, stumbling aimlessly through the thick dust.  
“Mar! I’m over here!” He was stumbling towards her, using his flames as a light source trying to see through the dust. Mariona ran towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck.   
“Are you alright?” He said, pulling away quickly and looking her up and down, most likely scanning for injuries.  
“Yes, just shaken up of course. Have you seen Maya? Or Terr?”  
“No, I thought they were with you. Or at least Terran was. I saw My run off when they got to Wilson.”  
“What?! What happened to Cain?!” Mariona pulled away as well, grasping her silver whip.  
“You didn’t hear? The two bumbling blonde idiots got to him. Amaya nearly snapped. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was wreaking havoc somewhere in the city.” Cyrus turned, grabbing Mariona’s hand.  
She squeezed his.  
“We should go find-”  
A deafeningly huge explosion knocked them off their feet.

Mariona gasped, her eyes going straight to Cyrus’s. The two of them were oddly close in her vision, or whatever you’d call it. He scanned her eyes, then shrugged. Mariona glared at him. He looked away.  
“Does- does that actually happen? Like, will it?” Amaya seemed to say, but Mariona still couldn’t hear her clearly.  
“Yes, young Amaya. It does.” Said the man next to Mariona. Mariona shivered. Apparently Amaya went on a rampage, and if she had seen herself doing that, Mariona couldn’t imagine how she felt.  
“Wait, so how does that help us figure out our curse?” Terran said, rubbing the back of his neck.  
“We never said it would, that is for you to find out on your own. Goodbye, young heroes. And may your strength keep you solid. We hope to see you again.” The woman next to Cyrus said.  
And just like that, Mariona woke up.


End file.
